Aaron Bastani

It's just kind of embarrassing that Corbyn has gone on actual protests against Putin and you haven't, but you're claiming he's pro-Russia. Oh well!

Well, I'd say it's kind of embarrassing that you need to use phrases like "it's kind of embarrassing." You know I like you Owen: it would be great for you not to feel the need to argue in this slightly shit, snidey, personal way. But y'know, hey. Well won.

But of course my defence of the movement to which I belong from some random gratuitous smearing is slightly shit and snidey rather than the actual random gratuitous smearing itself!

Yep. It is Owen. Because to critique a movement is not a personal attack. This is what has got lost in the way the online left operate. Bye now.

There's a difference between critiquing a movement and smearing an entire movement as the cheerleaders of a despicable authoritarian regime. This is classic: I will smear loads of people and then when they defend themselves I will claim they are the aggressors!

Smearing my arse. Some elements of The Left do remain sympathetic to Russia. That isn't smearing, it's a valid opinion. As was your opinion about centrists. But not your deliebrately obtuse inability to see the difference between a person and an ideology.

You wrote that "It's weird that The Left are still pro-Russia". If you are going to make a baseless smear against an entire movement on a public forum, which is exactly what that is, I'd maybe expect supporters of that movement to defend themselves.

It's not a baseless smear. Who do you think Andrew Murray and Seumas Milne are? Who if not Bastani and co ran with the idea that Skripal might have been an Israeli op? Who but Corbyn questioned that Assad was behind the sarin attacks? Etc etc. Not baseless, not a smear.